Walton-Verona ends Oldham County's run at another Eighth Region title

NEW CASTLE, Ky. — There was no storybook ending for Oldham County on Saturday night.

The Eighth Region’s defending champions, who made it to Saturday’s regional final at Henry County High School thanks to a buzzer-beater in one game and an incredible offensive performance in another, struggled against a Walton-Verona team whose length caused problems all night long, with the Bearcats grabbing a 60-51 victory.

Instead, the storybook ending went to the Northern Kentucky school with just 545 kids.

The Bearcats, playing in their first regional final since 1986, earned their first trip to the Sweet 16 since 1942 when the school was just known as Walton.

“I can’t thank these guys enough,” Bearcats coach Grant Brannen said. “They’re winners. They’ve been winners their whole life, and they were laser-focused all week. Fortunately for us, we’ve been playing our best ball at the end of the year.”

The Colonels' woes began on their first possession when Dieonte Miles, a 6-10 Xavier commit, swatted away two inside shots. Those were the first of 10 blocks the Bearcats had on the night, with six coming from Miles.

The Bearcats (28-6) also used their length to disrupt passing lanes and create turnovers. Trey Bonne got a steal in the closing seconds of the first quarter when the Colonels (20-14) held the ball for the last shot. It ended up allowing Garrett Jones to hit a 3-pointer just before the horn and gave the Bearcats a 17-9 lead.

“Give them credit, they guarded the guys out in the perimeter they needed to and they stayed in on the ones who didn’t,” Oldham County coach Coy Zerhusen said. “We didn’t quite have that confidence tonight to drive and make the plays and make the extra pass, and it bit us.”

Walton-Verona led by as much as 18 late in the third quarter before the Colonels finally began chipping away at their deficit. Cole Mesker’s buzzer-beating 3 started a 9-2 run for the Colonels.

The Colonels eventually got the Bearcats lead down to 50-42 with 2:44 remaining after a Matthew Teague layup. Oldham County had a chance to cut it even more on their next possession, but Miles blocked a Teague layup attempt.

Mesker, a senior guard, said the Colonels tried to get Miles in foul trouble, but the Bearcats senior did not pick up his third foul until midway through the third quarter.

“He’s just so long,” Mesker said. “We didn’t get going until late in the second half. It just wasn’t our game.”

Jones, who finished with 16 points, said he and Miles, who added 15 points, always stay after practice and commit to making 10 straight free throws each. That work paid off with a trip to Rupp Arena, where the Bearcats will face Knox County Central at noon Wednesday.

“It’s been our dream since we were little, since kindergarten,” Jones said. “This is what we’ve been working for for 12 years, and it’s indescribable the feeling that we finally made it.”